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.BOB HIRSHON (host):
Computer-designed cancer killers. I’m Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update.
Autodesk is a company best known for making software for designing things like buildings and cars. But Autodesk distinguished researcher Andrew Hessel is focused on designing living organisms. One goal is building cancer-killing viruses.
ANDREW HESSEL (Autodesk):
This virus infects the cancer cell, destroys it just through viral replication, releases more virus to go on and infect more cancer cells.
HIRSHON:
But the immune system soon recognizes and attacks the virus, limiting its effectiveness. That’s where computer-designed viruses come in.
HESSEL:
By being able to make synthetic viruses, now we have a digital process whereby we can generate the next virus at the push of a button.
HIRSHON:
Theoretically wave after wave of slightly different viruses could be produced and launched against the cancer until it’s destroyed. I’m Bob Hirshon, for AAAS, the science society.
